IDESGI Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The team leader stole a glance at Yeoul as he stepped out of the guiding room.

His clothes were slightly disheveled—different from when he had entered. His eyes were red, as if he had been crying, and faint marks mottled the skin along his neck.

‘Just how rough did he have to be to leave him in this state?’

Gone was the composed, neat figure from earlier. Yeoul now looked utterly exhausted, drained. His face was pale as a sheet, as if he might collapse at any moment.

Taking in his haggard appearance, the team leader made a suggestion.

“Let’s get you to your quarters. I can take you to the room where Esper Yoo Ihan is staying—”

“No.”

Yeoul cut him off immediately.

His voice was weary, but his resolve was firm.

“I’ll be going to the Guide quarters.”

“…Understood.”

The team leader didn’t press the issue.

He didn’t know what had happened, but experience told him that meddling in the affairs between an Esper and their Guide only ever led to trouble.

Arriving at the Zone 3 Guide quarters, Yeoul collapsed onto the bed, his body sinking into the sheets. Burying his face in the fabric, he murmured to himself like a vow.

“I can’t keep going like this.”

If things continued this way, he would only repeat the same mistake as before. That was something he could not allow.

Yeoul clenched the sheets tightly in his fists.

‘I really didn’t want to resort to this…’

Slowly, he sat up and pulled out his phone. His thumb hovered over the screen as he scrolled through his contacts, stopping at one name.

For a long time, he hesitated.

Then, as if steeling himself, he pressed the call button.

The dial tone rang only a few times before a low, detached voice answered.

―Yes.

“Hyung, it’s me.”

―…Han Yeoul?

The voice on the other end immediately softened.

Yeoul hesitated for a beat before responding.

“It’s been a while.”

A faint smile tugged at his lips as he added—

“Geon-ie hyung.”

---

Lounging around in his quarters, Yushin barely reacted when Ihan suddenly appeared.

“Oh, you’re here. What, you want me to take you to Guide Han Yeoul?”

“No. Remember that psychic Esper working with the police you told me about? Which zone is he in?”

“You mean Hyunho? Why?”

“Just answer me. Where is he?”

“Zone 5.”

Ihan cursed under his breath, scowling.

“Of all places, it had to be Zone 5?”

Running a hand through his hair in frustration, he shot a glare at Yushin before giving him a light kick.

“I need him. Bring him here.”

“Wait… You’re not seriously—”

“I said, bring him.”

Yushin shut his mouth at the look in Ihan’s eyes.

‘Great. Now I’m a damn errand boy, too.’

Grumbling internally, he pulled out his phone. The call barely rang before it was answered by a young, clear voice.

“Hello? Oh, Hyunho. Where are you right now? You busy?”

―No, I’m free. What’s up?

Yushin glanced at Ihan before speaking into the phone.

“Can you come to Zone 3 right now? I’ll come pick you up.”

―Huh? I’m already in Zone 3.

“What? Why are you in Zone 3?”

―Didn’t you hear? They pulled some people from Zone 5 for a dispatch here. Yoon Geon-sunbae volunteered for deployment.

“…What?”

Yushin glanced nervously at Ihan before lowering his voice.

“Why the hell is that guy here?”

―There were multiple gate outbreaks in Zone 3. It’s good that Sunbae is helping, right? I don’t know why he was picked, but he asked me to come along, so I’m here too.

“What the hell…?”

Ihan, sensing something off, narrowed his eyes.

“What is it?”

Yushin forced an awkward laugh, shaking his head.

“Nothing, really.”

Ihan’s gaze sharpened, and without warning, he snatched Yushin’s phone out of his hand.

“Hello, Esper Han Hyunho? What exactly did you just tell Kim Yushin?”

“I-Ihan! Wait, that’s not—!”

Yushin tried to snatch the phone back, but Ihan blocked him effortlessly with one arm. His face remained unreadable as a voice crackled through the speaker.

Then, his expression hardened.

“What did you just say?”

The hand gripping the phone trembled with barely contained fury.

“…Yoon Geon?”

‘We’re screwed.’

Yushin hung his head in despair.

Ihan let out a dry chuckle before abruptly ending the call.

“H-Hey, don’t break that—!”

Before Yushin could even finish his sentence, the phone was crushed in Ihan’s grip, shattering into pieces.

‘That bastard… I still had payments left on that.’

Swallowing back tears at the sight of his ruined device, Yushin shot Ihan a glare, fully intending to demand compensation.

But the moment he met Ihan’s gaze, he immediately backed down.

Ihan’s expression had transformed into something feral, his eyes burning like those of a starving predator.

“Kim Yushin, take Yeoul back to Zone 1. Immediately.”

“What about Hyunho?”

“I’ll handle it. Just get Yeoul out of here. Now.”

The sheer intensity of Ihan’s voice sent chills down Yushin’s spine.

He didn’t dare argue.

‘Of all times, why does Yoon Geon have to show up now?’

A sinking feeling settled in Yushin’s gut.

Something big was about to explode.

The Guides in Zone 3 stole glances at the man standing off to the side near the central staircase.

Dressed in a black turtleneck that clung to his muscular frame and a matching black harness, he was the kind of man who was impossible to ignore.

Jet-black hair, eyes even darker than his hair, and a sharp nose that complemented his chiseled features—all of it came together to create an intimidatingly cold and striking presence.

The Guides whispered among themselves, stealing furtive looks.

“Holy shit. First Yoo Ihan, and now Yoon Geon too?”

Everyone knew Yoo Ihan—Zone 1’s star Esper, closely tied to headquarters and frequently appearing in the media. He was practically a household name.

But Yoon Geon was different.

As part of Zone 5’s elite force, he rarely made public appearances. Despite being an S-Class Esper, most people outside the Esper and Guide community wouldn’t even recognize him.

However, among Espers and Guides, Yoon Geon was infamous.

If Yoo Ihan was the shining hero of the people, Yoon Geon was the shadow lurking behind him—a dark figure who worked in silence.

Where Ihan had the divine beauty of an angel, Geon carried the chilling aura of a reaper, a man who looked like he could cut down anyone in his path without hesitation.

White and black. The Esper world’s two extremes.

And everyone knew they hated each other.

“Aren’t those two supposed to be on terrible terms?”

The two were rarely placed together, simply because they couldn’t stand each other.

So why was Yoon Geon here now?

Before the Guides could dwell on their curiosity any longer, a voice called out.

“Hyung!”

“Yeoul-ah.”

In an instant, the stoic, indifferent expression on Yoon Geon’s face melted into something softer.

Yeoul stared at him, his face flushed with emotion.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

His words sounded like a light scolding, but his voice was impossibly gentle.

Yeoul let out a breathy laugh and met his gaze.

“It’s been so long.”

“Yeah, it has.”

“How long has it been? Two years?”

“One year and nine months.”

Yeoul’s eyes widened at the immediate response.

“You actually remember that?”

“It was the day you left Zone 5. May 21st.”

“Has it really been that long? Time flies.”

“You’ve lost weight. Still skipping meals and surviving on coffee?”

Yoon Geon’s brows furrowed slightly, his tone lightly scolding. Yeoul chuckled, his gaze warm with nostalgia.

“Hyung, you’ve gotten even more handsome.”

“You’re the same as always.”

“In a good way?”

“Of course.”

A faint smile tugged at Geon’s lips.

Yeoul hesitated before glancing around.

“What about Yeon-oh?”

Geon’s brow twitched. He averted his gaze as he replied.

“Why do you ask?”

“Because I need to ask you for a favor. And Yeon-oh should hear it too—he’s your exclusive Guide, after all.”

“He’s not my exclusive.”

“…What?”

“I never imprinted on him.”

Yeoul’s eyes grew round with shock. He was so taken aback he stammered.

“Y-You didn’t imprint? Why not?”

“It’s not important. What do you need?”

“Not important?! Hyung, are you even receiving proper Guiding? What’s your rampage level?”

Yeoul grabbed Geon’s wrist and checked his watch. The moment he saw the number displayed, he nearly choked.

“Sixty-four percent?! Wait, you haven’t been guided by Yeon-oh? Where is he? Didn’t he come with you? You need to get your levels down—go find him now!”

“He’s not here.”

“…What?”

Geon simply looked down at Yeoul’s hand grasping his wrist before replying, his voice flat.

“Seo Yeon-oh didn’t come with me.”

“Hyung, are you out of your mind? Yeon-oh is the only Guide who matches your compatibility!”

Geon let out a small breath and murmured.

“Who said Seo Yeon-oh is my only match? You’re right here.”

Yeoul, still fuming, hesitated. His lips parted and closed several times before he finally spoke.

“You know I’ve already imprinted. My match rate must have dropped.”

“We won’t know until we test it. Even if it’s lower, it’ll only be a slight decrease. You and I were at 89%.”

“At worst, it could drop to the low 60s. And I’m only C-Class, while Yeon-oh is A-Class with a 92% match rate.”

Yeoul let go of Geon’s hand and looked at him with concern.

“Hyung, did something happen with Yeon-oh?”

Geon clenched his hand into a fist, as if trying to hold onto the lingering warmth from Yeoul’s touch.

“And you?”

“What?”

“You wouldn’t have called me unless something was wrong. What happened between you and Yoo Ihan?”

Geon’s gaze settled on Yeoul, calm yet strangely intense. Though his expression was neutral, his eyes burned with a quiet heat—so hot it felt like it could scorch.

“You said you needed my help. What is it?”

“…It’s hard to talk about here. I need to discuss it with Yeon-oh too.”

“Seo Yeon-oh doesn’t matter.”

“How can you say that?! If it’s not him, who else is going to guide you? Every other Guide’s guiding only hurts you!”

“Then you do it.”

Geon extended his hand toward Yeoul.

Yeoul hesitated, glancing up at him uncertainly.

“The match rate must have dropped… My guiding might hurt you now.”

“Then let’s find out.”

“…What?”

“Let’s test it. See if it hurts or not.”

Geon’s gaze was unwavering, relentless.

Yeoul knew this look. When Geon was like this, there was no changing his mind.

Sighing in resignation, Yeoul reached out and took his hand.

“If it hurts, tell me. Promise?”

“Okay.”

Yeoul, still wary, sent a controlled stream of guiding energy into Geon.

The flow was fast—far faster than expected. In mere seconds, he had already poured out half his energy. Startled, he immediately pulled his hand away.

Yeoul blinked in confusion, while Geon’s lips curled into a small smile.

“Looks like our match rate went up.”

Disbelieving, Yeoul tried again. Again and again, the result remained the same.

His guiding efficiency with Yoon Geon had increased.

“Check your watch!”

Yeoul glanced at Geon’s rampage level—and his eyes widened in shock.

“Forty-nine percent…?”

It had only been brief, just a simple hand-guiding session.

And yet, Geon’s rampage level had dropped over ten percent.

‘Why is this so effective?’

With Yoo Ihan, his guiding efficiency had been declining day by day.

So why was it improving with Geon?

Yeoul’s mind spun in confusion. He was still lost in thought when someone suddenly grabbed his wrist.

Before he could react, he was yanked forward, colliding into a solid chest.

His head snapped up—only to be met with Ihan’s furious, murderous glare directed at Geon.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing with someone else’s Guide?”

Ihan’s voice was cold and filled with malice.

Yeoul immediately tried to step back to diffuse the situation, but Ihan’s grip was too strong. He was held firmly in place, unable to move away.

Yeoul pounded lightly on Ihan’s chest in protest.

“Yoo Ihan! It’s not like that—”

“Yeoul-ah.”

Yeoul flinched.

That voice—he had never heard Ihan sound like that before.

Deep. Ominous. Almost unrecognizable.

“Don’t stop me right now.”

Ihan’s deadly gaze remained locked on Geon.

It was sharper than a blade—so filled with malice that even the way he looked at monsters seemed kinder in comparison.

“I can’t have that bastard thinking there’s anything left between you two.”

Geon, who had been silent, scoffed.

“If anyone here is misunderstanding their place, it’s you, Yoo Ihan.”

“Oh, cut that fucking ‘family bond’ bullshit if that’s what you’re about to say.”

Ihan’s grip on the back of Yeoul’s head tightened possessively. Geon’s gaze flickered toward it before letting out a short, mocking laugh.

“Yeah. That family bond? It’s bullshit to me too.”

Tilting his head slightly, Geon met Ihan’s gaze with an unwavering, almost defiant intensity.

“Which is exactly why I’m not going to be his family.”

At those words, Ihan’s expression twisted into something truly dangerous.